Going Foreward Backwards
by Letzte
Summary: Things probably weren't meant to happen this way... Sorta Jin/Hazama.


**A/N: And, finally actually fixing this. This part was actually finished a few months ago, when I read over what I'd had and nearly threw up, but then I forgot to actually put it up. Anyway, now that I have renewed interest in it, second chapter hopefully going up soon!**

Jin had been going over the documents on his desk, trying to rearrange them in some semblance of order when there was a knock on the doorway to his office. He didn't look up at whoever was there.

"M-major?" someone squeaked, and Jin winced internally from recognition. He could pick out the owner of that voice easily: Noel Vermillion, and his face soured; if there was anyone that he wanted less to see at the moment he could not bring them to mind, if such a person did indeed exist.

He sighed and looked up at her blankly. "What is it, Lieutenant Vermillion?" he asked, his voice steeped in irritation.

A look of embarrassed shock passed over the girl's face and she stuttered for a long moment. Only when Jin could no longer hold his passive facade and his countenance took on a bitter quality did she manage to coherently convey her message. "C-captain Hazama of the Intelligence Department is here, a... and, uh..." She trailed off, and her face slowly tinged with red.

"And?" Jin prodded, through grit teeth.

"H-he needs your permission to look at... a file, I forgot which, sir, I'm so sorry," she said in a gasp, her face now bright red and her eyes straining all across every spot of the room in order not to catch Jin's.

Jin looked back down to his desk. "Very well, I give him permission," he said, with a vague wave of his hand, more than a little irritated that _he_ had to deal with this sort of distraction while the Lieutenant was perfectly capable of handling the matter herself.

Noel scurried out of the office, and as she turned the corner Jin caught a glimpse of the man who he presumed to be Captain Hazama, and for the briefest of instances, their eyes caught. The man's cold, almost snakelike eyes sent something akin to a volt of hot, tense energy ripping through him. The captain gave him a cruel smile and a mock wave that seemed let some insanity locked inside Jin's heart awaken and begin to course through his veins.

He sat up quickly from his chair, and his vision suddenly swam in front of him, dots of black clouding his eyes. He let go of his desk, which he hadn't even realized how hard he had been clutching until an ache of relief passed through his hands, and rubbed his eyes. He couldn't place what strange emotion had come over him, something like sick fury and maybe fea- no, not fear. He pushed that thought away.

Jin walked over to the window and pushed the hot skin of his hand onto the cool glass. His breath was short and he shook his head, trying to rid himself of the buzzing sensation flitting through him. Jin closed his eyes, and everything seemed to cool. He exhaled and had started to regain his composure, when he heard a the dull clacks of footsteps on the office's marble floor. Maybe it was Noel again. Jin was suddenly too tired to care.

But from behind him he heard the door shut, and he forced himself to whip around. White-hot venom coursed once more through his head, and his vision of the man before him went blurry for a long moment.

"Why, hello there, Major," the man said. His voice was smooth and the friendliness was feigned, completely saccharine. Jin felt his hand close viciously around the end of the desk one more.

"You...!" he floundered for a second, features tightening.

"Yes, me. Though, I'd have expected a kinder greeting from the famous Major Kisaragi." The man smiled mockingly and put his hand on his hat. "Are introductions in order? I'm Captain Hazama, of the Intelligence Department." His voice dripped with exaggerated politeness, and Jin twitched outwardly, convulsed inwardly.

"What do you want?" he aksed icily, and his fingers left their torture of the desk's edge to grasp protectively around the hilt of his sword.

But if he felt threatened, the captain didn't show it. He merely chuckled and said, "Oh, just thought I'd say hi, you know. Common courtesy and all that." Jin hated the way Hazama was looking at him, like an amused tiger stalking a mouse. It made him want to snap out; he could feel the blood boiling in his veins, but after a brief struggle he kept his emotions in check, albeit not as strongly reigned in as he would have liked.

"If that's all, then I'm afraid I have to leave," said Jin, dryly. At this time of day he would have no where to leave to, but he was sure the captain was not about to leave any time soon on his own accord.

"Oh, my, how rude, Major." Hazama's grin widened, his eyes danced with calculating pleasure that kept Jin on edge. "If you say such thing, why, my heart will just _break_. Really!" He placed his hands over his heart in a mock display of emotional distress. The major shifted; before he hadn't just left because Hazama had been standing in the doorway, but now he hardly cared if he had to stab the man to get him out of the way. "Going somewhere?" The captain caught him by the wrist as Jin started forward.

"Don't-" Jin started maliciously, but turned and abruptly cut himself off. Hazama's face was only inches from his own. Jin stared deeply into the man's malevolent, yellow eyes and froze. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. Silence stretched around the room, and each beat of Jin's pounding heart echoed loudly in his ears. Hazama's eyes laughed cruelly, and the major hated the stunned look he couldn't see on his own face.

"Well, don't you look like a deer caught in the headlights. All I was going to ask was that you stay a while," he implored, cruelty now shining through his fake thin layer of kindness more openly, pushing Jin back toward the desk. The major, coming back to his senses, ripped his wrist from the man's burning grip.

Jin was silent and sullen and his hand didn't leave his sword. Hazama was silent, but did keep staring deeply with dancing eyes. Finally he reached out and took Jin by his wrist, pulling his hand off the hilt of the sword. Jin suddenly froze again, and Hazama chuckled. "I see you've grown quite close to it, then."

"Shut up." He kept a steady glare at the man. All the previous panic was ebbing away into plain fury.

Hazama let go of his hand and threw up his arms in an exaggerated shrug. "I see someone's grown up to be rather rude. Honestly, it just crushes me sweet little Jin acting like this."

He moved his hand and cupped Jin's cheek, and before the major could react he could feel his face tinge a flustered red. Hazama jerked his hand away just in time to get out of reach from Jin's strike. And then backed up toward the the door, with a jaunty wave. "Oh, have I worn out my welcome?" Jin briefly debated in his head whether or not to stab him before he left, but the man turned and opened the door, slipping outside with a happy "well, then I guess I'll be going". And the door clicked behind him with an air of finality.


End file.
